Interview

5 Pages 1177 Words

Politics can have a very negative effect on one’s home life as was discovered by Mr. Bowbricks who first child was 6 months old when he first got elected. His second child was born while he was in government, and his absence from his family life was the major factor of his wife seeking divorce a year and a half into his term. Graeme does not blame politics for this however, for what politics can do though is amplify personal differences. If you are married to someone who does not share your passion for what you are doing and the values that you have, it is extremely hard to move past this and balance the two. If you are married to someone who does not care for politics, you cannot successfully partake in politics without having a family who is supportive and understanding and shares your passion for it.

When Graeme Bowbrick was chosen to be the Attorney General for the NDP he was flattered as well as worried. He was only 34, yet already a cabinet minister and he had an important portfolio, which was to be Minister of Advanced Education, and there was a lot of money involved “…it is not as sticky as being the Attorney General. When you are the Attorney General you are constantly in the spot light, in the middle of difficult media stories, and that can be distracting.” His biggest worry was that because of his age there would be criticism that he was too young and inexperienced to be the Attorney General. Sure enough the day after becoming Attorney General, newspapers had begun stating in their columns that Graeme Bowbrick was too young, and not yet experienced enough to accept such an important position. However Mr. Bowbrick proudly reflects on the quick change of the media’s opinion as it soon became apparent that he was more than capable of fulfilling his required duties. Mr. Bowbrick also points out that in the 1950’s the longest serving Attorney General for British Columbia was only 32 years old when he was appointe...